Wingate: my husband's maternal line

My husband's mother was a Wingate.  Her father, James Eckenrode Wingate (1879 - 1956) was born in Missouri to Samuel and Olive Webb Wingate.  Samuel Wingate's biography was included in the following:

Hawley, James H., ed. History of Idaho The Gem of the Mountains. Vol. I-III. Chicago, IL, USA: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1920.

James E Wingate married Myrtle M Elam (1889 - 1964) on 2 Feb 1917 in Boise, Idaho.  They had eight children, 5 girls and 3 boys (Lyle's mother, Hazel Wingate McMillan Kite, was the oldest child, being born on 1 Nov 1917). 

WWI Registration for the draft

WWII Registration

The Cora May Van Buren and John Nelson Elam Story (Myrtle M Elam's parents)

John Nelson Elam was the son of George Henry Elam and Eliz Jane Burris. He was born May 28, 1866, at Appanoose Co., Iowa, where his parents were living at that time. They later moved to Missouri where John grew to manhood. It was in Missouri that he met Cora May Van Buren and fell in love with her.

She was the daughter of James Henry Van Buren and Susan Oderkirk. They were married on December 24, 1887, then moved to Kansas. Here their first child, a girl, was born on January 14, 1889. She was named Myrtle May.  John was a farmer at heart so he worked from farm to farm. A son was born to them on August 21, 1890. They had gone back to Midway, Missouri, before he was born. He was named Bryan Delbert.

John and Cora, with their little family, moved to Clarinda, Iowa, and on March 1, 1892, their third child, a girl, was born. They named her Viola Jane. John and Cora then moved back to midway where George Henry Newton Elam was born on September 13, 1893. They stayed in Missouri for three more years during which time Alvia Bert was born on July 10, 1896.

They again moved back to Page, Iowa, where Everett Leroy was born on January 2, 1902. Things did not go well for them in Iowa so they moved back to Missouri and their seventh child, a boy, was born on February 28, 1904. He was named Benjamin Franklin Elam. Little Benjamin lived only three months and passed away on June 10, 1905.  John´s next move was to Ellis Co., Kansas. Codell was the name of the little town close by. They had a little farm and across the road was a farm owned by James M. Dyas. James would send his son Gordon down from Oxford, Nebraska to farm this land.

John and Cora enjoyed Gordon´s friendship and it wasn´t long before Gordon Dyas was courting their daughter Viola.  Cora gave birth to another boy on November 7, 1906, and named him Walter Lestly. He grew to manhood, married, and had four children before he died on October 3, 1965.

Cora again gave birth to a baby girl on May 5, 1908, and named her Vinita Jinenee. However, much to their sorrow, this baby was with them only a short time. She passed away on August 3, 1908.

Gordon Dyas and Viola Jane Elam were married April 10, 1908 in Hays City,  Kansas. The following spring their first child, a boy, was born on May 5, 1909. He was named Lloyd Dow Dyas.

In 1910, John and Cora decided to move west; so, with their family, loaded all of their belongings on a freight train car. Gordon and Viola decided to move west with them; so they loaded all of their belongings on the same freight car and the two families went west and settled in Meridian [Ustick], Idaho. Gordon and Viola later moved to Nampa, Idaho.

Cora gave birth to another baby girl on September 23, 1910, but this baby also died after living a few months. She passed away on January 12, 1911. She was named Edith Irene.

John and Cora´s oldest daughter, Myrtle, married Charley Shimp in 1911 (31 Jan 1911);

Idaho Marriages, 1842-1996 about Charlie B. Shimp

Name:	Charlie B. Shimp
Gender:	Male
Spouse:	Myrtle M. Elam
Spouse Gender:	Female
Marriage Date:	Jan 31, 1911
Marriage Location:	Boise, Ada Co., Idaho
Source:	This record can be found in the marriage book at the County Courthouse located in Ada Co., ID in Volume 9 on Page 195.

their son Bryan married Elsa Kiefer, December 2, 1914; their son Newton married Maggie Gale, October 9, 1914.  Can find no record of death of Charley Shimp at this time.

[She married second - 02 Feb 1917 - James Eckenrode Wingate, having the 8 children as described above.]

Jim and Myrtle Wingate, 1953, Meridian Idaho

Newton passed away on November 19, 1918, from influenza. He left his wife, Maggie, with two little boys, Earl and Harley. The death of this grown son hit John and Cora very hard after having lost four tiny babies. They grieved deeply over his passing.

Alvia married Nellie Kiefer on August 21, 1924; Roy married Flora Hackett in 1925; Walter married Edna Collins on June 19, 1926.

After John and Cora reached Meridian, he rented a farm and milked cows for a living. By the time all of the children were married, they were pretty well fixed in a nice home with plenty to eat. Now, after all the years of struggling to keep his big family clothed, fed and together, John and Cora had time to relax and enjoy life together. John was a kind hearted man who loved his wife and children. He would have given the shirt off his back to anyone in need. He loved the land and enjoyed raising hay and grain to feed his herd of milk cows. Cora was at his side helping him after all the children had married and had homes of their own.

One night, about four years after the last boy had married, John came in from doin the chores. He ate a good supper, went into the front room, and sat down in his favorite rocking chair while Cora did the dishes. All of a sudden, Cora heard a terrible crashing sound. She ran into the front room and found John lying on the floor bleeding from the nose. He died a few moments later from a brain hemorrhage.

This was on October 29, 1930; he was 66 years old. He and Cora had been married 43 years.

Cora gave up the farm, sold the cows, and moved into the town of Meridian. She joined the Assembly of God Church and sought solace in attending all of the church meetings. David Wood and his wife were her next-door neighbor. Cora would go to church with them. A year or so later, David Wood´s wife passed away. Of course, Cora was nearby to comfort him. Cora and David were married a year later. He was a big man about six feet tall and very handsome. They enjoyed each other´s company, attending church meetings together and doing things together. This happiness lasted until David became ill and passed away February 20, 1940.

Cora was now a widow at the age of 81. She took it on the chin like she did all the rest of her sorrows. She lived alone until she was 90 years old, then her mind began slipping and ill health overtook her. Her children put her in a nursing home in Caldwell, Idaho. She passed away September 1, 1961, and was buried in the cemetery in Meridian on September 4, 1961.

We all love Grandma Elam, as we all called her, and her memory will live in our hearts forever. She was always cheerful and looked on the bright side of life, no matter how hard the trials she had to pass through.
LinneaWard50 originally submitted this to the Thomas G Dyas tree on Ancestry,com on 22 May 2007